• From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2011-11-26
  • Posts: 596

Topic: What goes on at Sonoma Raceway a few days before we show up...

So last year when I got to Sears Pointless on friday morning I was looking at the parking lot and saw a ton of fresh burn out marks.. I heard all sorts of explanations like "last night we were doing burn out and doughnuts"  I was like him I guess that is why.. but some of the burn out marks looked like patterns..

Maybe someone told me in my inebriated state that night.. but because I am currently in the area for work I looked up all the events at the track and found out why and went to watch.

Amateur Drifting and Drag racing night... and to be honest.. a lot of these cars looked like something on its way to being Lemons racers. Even one of the drag cars had rubber chickens all over the top and was a Volvo with a motor swap?

Have to say, over the smell of burning rubber I could smell pot and being there to take pictures made me realize.. hmm amateurs, stoned, driving out of control with just this small metal fence .. I should stand back.

Some were pretty damn good though. They do this every Wed night behind the main grandstand (the paddock spaces) starting the Wed after daylight savings time which happend to be yesterday. If any of you are in the area the wed night before the race might as well go check it out.

and yes this is  a long story under a few beers in the shameless goal to post a couple pictures...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-y3BBviwcI2s/UULKUrbpBPI/AAAAAAAAGdM/x7aLffcYZw4/s550/photo.jpg

and the lemony drag car ...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5AQeTGu6AVs/UULKvJOeyeI/AAAAAAAAGdQ/yDBcx3T3-s8/s550/photo.jpg

link to my album if you are interested in checking out the rest of the pictures... man I wish I had a race track like this close by to where I live..

https://plus.google.com/photos/10568763 … 9453197809

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  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2011-11-26
  • Posts: 596

Re: What goes on at Sonoma Raceway a few days before we show up...

I guess with my limited car culture .. i need to realize weirdos with lots of wrench time and low budgets have had cars habits long before Lemons..  I guess it is just the weird that makes me look at it and go.. is that a Lemons car?

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  • fabtoys
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Re: What goes on at Sonoma Raceway a few days before we show up...

Last year a couple days before the race ,Infineon made an attempt to break a Guinness record for the most cars  doing donuts at same time it was I think 200 cars.

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  • gunn
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  • From: SF, CA
  • Registered: 2010-12-18
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Re: What goes on at Sonoma Raceway a few days before we show up...

socal.colin wrote:

I guess with my limited car culture .. i need to realize weirdos with lots of wrench time and low budgets have had cars habits long before Lemons..  I guess it is just the weird that makes me look at it and go.. is that a Lemons car?

Since the whole point is to burn up the tires by breaking traction and keeping your engine wailing at high RPM, I'm not sure if drifting qualifies as a much of a "low budget" amateur motorsport activity. If you have to deliver tofu and drifting through mtn passes is the quickest way down -- sure, I get it. I never really understood who wins at a drifting event except for the tire dealers.
-g

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  • From: Yorba Linda, CA
  • Registered: 2010-12-19
  • Posts: 388

Re: What goes on at Sonoma Raceway a few days before we show up...

gunn wrote:

...Since the whole point is to burn up the tires by breaking traction and keeping your engine wailing at high RPM, I'm not sure if drifting qualifies as a much of a "low budget" amateur motorsport activity. If you have to deliver tofu and drifting through mtn passes is the quickest way down -- sure, I get it. I never really understood who wins at a drifting event except for the tire dealers.
-g

Think of it as figure skating on asphalt...

  • Spank
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Re: What goes on at Sonoma Raceway a few days before we show up...

jiggermyster wrote:
gunn wrote:

...Since the whole point is to burn up the tires by breaking traction and keeping your engine wailing at high RPM, I'm not sure if drifting qualifies as a much of a "low budget" amateur motorsport activity. If you have to deliver tofu and drifting through mtn passes is the quickest way down -- sure, I get it. I never really understood who wins at a drifting event except for the tire dealers.
-g

Think of it as figure skating on asphalt...

So you're saying the drivers dress like this:

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID23890/images/johnny_heart.jpg

http://toepick.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/headline_1263752901.jpg

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  • From: Very Rainy Washington State
  • Registered: 2011-06-27
  • Posts: 1,157

Re: What goes on at Sonoma Raceway a few days before we show up...

I'm pretty sure that Volvo is a Lemons car. I believe it was at Thunderhill in September.

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  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2011-11-26
  • Posts: 596

Re: What goes on at Sonoma Raceway a few days before we show up...

fabtoys wrote:

Last year a couple days before the race ,Infineon made an attempt to break a Guinness record for the most cars  doing donuts at same time it was I think 200 cars.

Oh right!, yeah that was what someone told me Friday night when i was walking around in a stooper. 

Some of the drifters drive their car there and do drift runs, then  drive home on the same tires. Some of the cars are beaters that hardly ran. They use really hard highway tires, and they drift just the same, but they do not get the smoke.  No traction = sideways easy.. we did it on accident with the spitfire at Fontana one race. put rock hard highway tires on the rear and ok tires on the front.. it was all throttle control sideways and spinning easy. But no power low rpm and no smoke.

But yes there were really built up motors with huge turbos running off their rev limiters with expensive tires throwing off huge smoke.. Those guys came with tires on their car, and had two sets of tires they went through that night.. Lots of money yes. Likely $1k for the night, plus motor work and tuning.


Also yes... i never understand "winning" in drifting. It is just people going nuts trying to look cool in their car.. but entertaining non the less

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